Life — January 11, 1923 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Bumblepuppy Home" - Life Magazine Satire This satirical piece mocks auction bridge (a card game popular in the early 20th century). The cartoon shows a kitchen scene where "Mrs. Binx" corrects a "New Cook" about coffee-making—a humorous opening to an article targeting incompetent bridge players. The text identifies various problematic player types: those insisting on playing every hand, poor leaders, overconfident optimists, pessimists, and absent-minded players. The "Bumblepuppy Home" is a fictional refuge proposed for these 3 million "homeless" Americans who play bridge incorrectly. The satire ridicules both bridge obsession (Moody's reports Americans lodge at "Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street" playing) and the players' absurd incompetence. The second poem humorously describes accommodations ("Two and a Half and Up") for these undesirable cardplayers.